


The Viking and the Crow

by spiritqueenie



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Regency, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Beauty and the Beast, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 11:50:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8247724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiritqueenie/pseuds/spiritqueenie
Summary: Aeleus Beauchene, as the eldest of six, is responsible for keeping their farm and family going strong in spite of their debts and poverty. Worse, Aeleus finally gets word from their missing father, whose gambling had ruined them in the first place, begging his eldest son to come and free him from some sort of “terrible fate”. But when he leaves, he finds that freeing his father is the very least of his worries.Beauty and the Beast au, starring Aeleus as the “beauty” and Ienzo as the “beast”.





	

_Cark, cark!_

The twelve-year-old looked up from her work. Her hair was dark, almost black, but shone red where the sun hit it, and hung in two braids over her shoulders. Her eyes were as clear as a mountain stream, and they widened slightly as she took in what had disturbed her.

A rather large raven stood on the windowsill, head twitching slightly as it eyed her. It blinked at her once, then issued another sharp  _cark!_ It hopped toward her, and it lifted a leg.

“What in the- is that a _letter?_ ” she exclaimed, eyeing what could only be a scroll tied to the bird's leg. She licked her lips nervously, made eye contact with the raven again, then lowered her eyes and removed the message. The raven slowly lowered its leg, and watched her with eyes too observant for a normal animal. She frowned and opened the scroll, and chewed her lip as she scanned the words on the page. Again, her clear, silvery eyes widened. She looked up at the bird, and it tilted its head before flying away.

Hastily, the girl stood, knocking her stool over and dumping the trousers she had been mending on the floor. She ran for the back door. “Aeleus!” she cried as she went.

~

There was something about the simple act of weeding a garden that Aeleus found soothing. Perhaps it was that he could lose himself in the mindless physical activity, tearing up that which did not belong and carefully pruning that which did. He worked neither quickly nor slowly, but at an efficient pace that got the job done without tiring him. Aeleus was a big man, with powerful muscles that failed to be contained by just about any clothing, but he saw no reason to push himself beyond his limits. The plants were not going anywhere, and neither was he.

“Aeleus!” 

He looked up at the sound of his name and the light pounding of feet. Yvette, the youngest of their family, came to a halt beside him. She panted slightly, then thrust a hand out toward him, clutching a piece of paper so tightly she'd partially crumpled it. “You need to read it!”

He paused to wipe the sweat from his brow, then took it gently from her. He noted with amusement that one of her hands was less than half the size of one of his own. He dismissed the thought as he carefully smoothed out the letter, and began to read.

“Ey, sis! You fixed my other trousers yet? Cos-”

Aeleus looked up to see Elijah, the second-eldest at seventeen, come walking over. Where Aeleus was large and somewhat bulky with rusty hair, and Yvette tiny with dark hair, Elijah was long and lean with red auburn hair.

Yvette snorted and crossed her arms. “This is more important! Besides, if you'd stop scampering about in the trees like a squirrel, maybe they wouldn't rip so much!”

Elijah smirked. “You're just jealous you can't join in!”

“Can, too!” she retorted, stomping a foot.

Elijah raised his eyebrows, his teal eyes skeptical. “Even with all those skirts weighing you down?”

“You bet your a-” she began hotly.

Aeleus cleared his throat and stood. They both instantly stopped and turned to him. “I want you two to round everyone up; we've something important to discuss.”

Elijah finally noticed the letter. His brow creased. “What's that there?”

“News of father,” was all Aeleus would say before he walked back to the house, his already intimidating face made more so with a heavy scowl.

~

It was a few minutes before Aeleus could begin. The rest of the family had assembled at their somewhat rough-hewn table. Elijah and Ian, identical twins, sat next to each other, wearing the same expression of barely suppressed curiosity. The only difference was that Elijah had a slightly longer face, and usually tied his hair back. Beside them sat Oliver, age fifteen, who was similar in build to the twins but whose hair had more brown. He feigned bored disinterest in the entire affair and kept fiddling with his cravat, but the way his eyes kept darting to Aeleus was telling. Next was Uriel, age thirteen, with his ink-stained fingers steepled together, his thin and foxlike face the very picture of patience. Yvette squirmed beside him, waiting for Aeleus to break the news.

“So let's start already!” she blurted, then bit her lip in sudden sheepishness.

Aeleus blinked, then nodded. “Yvette, tell us how-”

He never got to finish. “I was mending Elijah's trousers -as usual, because he always rips his trousers- when I heard a really loud caw. And I mean really loud. I looked up, and there was the biggest raven I've ever seen on the windowsill, just staring at me with its beady eyes. So I stare back, shocked. And I think I said something in my shock, don't remember what. So the raven holds up its leg, and on there is a scroll! I take the scroll off and open it, and it's a letter to Aeleus from- from father!” Her round face is slightly flushed with her excitement, and she pauses to gather herself some. “So I run to Aeleus.”

Uriel blinked at her and frowned. “Ravens are not messenger birds. That is not normal behavior for one in the slightest.”

Yvette frowned back at him. “Are you accusing me of lying?”

Uriel sighed. “I'm merely making an observation.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “Oh, come off it! What does the letter say?” he asked, looking to Aeleus.

Aeleus paused to consider how best to summarize what he'd read. He cleared his throat, and settled with saying, “Though long-winded, the letter is surprisingly vague. In returning from his trip to Town, father relates that he got himself into some sort of trouble. He mentions being held prisoner by the- master of the place, and requests that I come for him. I think the master of wherever he is being held has implied that someone can bargain for his release, as he was insistent.” Aeleus paused and frowned. “After that, there are directions to this place in the mountains, written in a different hand.”

“So, you're going to leave us?” Ian blurted, teal eyes wide and nose wrinkled as if offended.

“He left out the part where Father described his jailor- the master of the place he's staying,” Yvette added, quivering in her seat. “Tell them!”

Aeleus barely resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Father describes a storm, and taking refuge in what appeared to be an abandoned manor. But he found himself confronted by what he claims is a giant beast, part bird and part man.”

Elijah and Ian's eyes both sparkled, and they leaned forward. “So the rumors about a wizard in the mountains?” Elijah began.

“You think Father found 'im, then?” Ian finished.

Oliver growled. “Don't be idiots! The land there is Royal land. Even though the Prince has been down south with the Emperor until he reaches his majority, I highly doubt he would let the royal summer home be overcome by a- a wizard that's also a giant  _bird_ man!”

“It doesn't matter whether the bird man was a drunken hallucination or not. In the end, Father is still held captive, and has probably promised that one of us will come and bargain his release.” Aeleus ran a hand through his hair and shifted his weight. “The last thing we need is someone else after us to settle one of his debts.”

The room went silent after that. There was a moment where the only sounds inside the cottage were the hushes of their breathing. Then Yvette stood. “Ian. Help me make dinner?” Ian nodded and stood.

~

Dinner was a fairly quiet affair. No one felt much like bringing up everything that had been discussed, or bringing up that harvest time was soon and they had yet to do it without their brother to guide them. Aeleus himself was tired, and the journey hadn't even begun. They all retired to their various mattresses, the twins sharing, Uriel and Yvette sharing. Aeleus, big as he was, had his own mattress he brought out only at night to place on the floor, and hid away during the day. Oliver took their father's bed.They all curled up to sleep immediately, aware they'd have to be up long before the sun rose in the morning.

~

The sky was still dark, and the farm and forest yet still covered in thick frost when he was ready to leave. They'd been up long since, had lit the hearth and begun the day's work. Aeleus had given them a whole list of things needed accomplishing in his absence, and they had accepted it grimly. Their farm had only one old horse, and she was necessary for farm-work.

With a sigh, Aeleus stepped away from the fleeting warmth of the hearth. Before he could head for the door, Yvette threw herself at him and clung. “I'm going to miss you!” The big man paused, then returned her embrace. And, one by one, the rest of the family joined. Even Oliver, after an eyeroll.

“I'll be back as soon as I can. Be good,” Aeleus said firmly as he pulled away from his siblings. It hurt him to step back from them, all gazing at him with wide eyes in varying shades of blue and gray, but it had to be done. He sucked in a steadying breath, walked out the cottage door, and refused to look back.

Walking through the forest was like being trapped in an endless dream. The sort where time freezes and holds no meaning. The sun rose slowly, painting the clouds pink before bursting through and streaking white through the trees. Birds called to each other in large groups as they gathered for their approaching southerly flight. Leaves fell steadily and silently all around him.

There was little to break the monotony of his walk. Were it not for the occasional boulder that jutted its way into the path, or the time he startled a deer, he could almost convince himself he was not traveling at all. When the sun had reached its zenith, he paused to sip at some water from his waterskin, and to nibble some hard oatcakes. They did little more than push away his hunger, but it was all he felt he could afford in the eerily silent forest.

Onward he went. His feet ached something fierce as the path got uneven and went over sharp rocks that his worn-out soles could not save him from. Once or twice, the trail appeared to split off entirely, and he would follow one until it revealed itself to be a game trail and he would have to back-track.

The sun was well into setting and the forest gathering blueish shadows by the time he rounded a bend and came to a large rock wall with a sort of overhang and cove. The ground beneath it was reasonably sandy and soft, and a large blackened spot told of travelers past who had stayed in the same place.

He rolled his pack off his shoulders and onto the sandy ground, then stretched. His back made a large  _pop_ as it cracked, and he rubbed it slowly. He made a simple camp; he had no means to make a tent, so he made a small fire, rolled out the couple of blankets he would have to use as a bed, and refilled his water. He had a bow, but it was now too dark to hunt, so he contented himself with more oatcakes and a cup of water he'd warmed by the fire to make a weak mint tea with for supper. Then, he simply curled up to sleep beneath one of the stiff blankets.

He woke with a start, muscles tense. His breath was visible as he panted and looked around in the dark of the night, searching for what had disturbed him. Then he heard it; a long, lonely howl. It was soon joined by another, and he shivered. Logically, he knew it was not quite cold enough for the wolves to be so desperate as to seek human flesh, but logic and instinct were directly at odds.

As a means to distract himself, he set about putting some more wood onto the fire, as it had gotten quite low. He heard another couple howls, but they seemed to him to be heading farther away. But it was not until long after they stopped that he could sleep once more.

In this manner, he continued his journey. He was beginning to feel lost, despite having followed one track the whole time. Already, it was his third day away, and the sun was again reaching its highest point. Before he could pull out the letter again to check the written instructions, he came upon a bridge crossing a ravine with steep, cliff-like sides and a rushing river directly below. The river was mostly white-water, and it raced around large, sharp rocks.

The bridge itself was an arch of gray stone. The rails were low and worn, and on either end stood the deteriorated lumps of what must have once been carvings. Though he knew little of the area, something about the look of the thing gave the impression of great age. Aeleus pulled out the letter again and scanned it. Yes, he was about to cross the River Danvers. According to what was written in that elegant script, he was just over three-quarters of the way there. He stopped to eat just one oatcake; already, he was growing low. And, as these were royal lands, he knew hunting was out of the question; getting caught poaching was a chance he could not take, even if he had not seen another human soul in days.

He tucked away the letter, took a sip of water, and set foot out onto the bridge. He approached the right side as he came to the middle, and leaned on the low rail to gaze ahead and toward the low mountains. Somewhere at the base of one, he knew, lie his destination. Aeleus leaned out yet farther as he tried to guess which of those green and orange mounds he was headed toward. A loose stone shifted, then broke free beneath his hand. Aeleus pitched forward and cursed in alarm, using his left hand to cling and stop himself from going over entirely.

_That would be just great,_ he thought as he panted and pulled himself back upright,  _to fall into a river after coming all this way._ He took a step back and took a deep breath as he straightened his shirt. Having learned his lesson, he was careful to keep away from the rails as he finished crossing the bridge.

It was on the morning on the fourth day he found himself among the mountains. Though it was late morning, the sun had yet to clear away the fog and shadows that clung to the forest. The trees here seemed to stand taller than in the area away from the mountains, standing like silent, malformed guardians. Streaks of weak sunlight threaded through their branches, bloodied red by the autumn leaves waiting to fall.

The path continued to wind around large trees and outlandish rock formations. When he finally came to what amounted to a clearing, it was suddenly and with no warning around one of those bends in the path. Fog ghosted about the edges of it, partially obscuring the sepulchral trees and scraggly bushes. But the most dominant thing in the scene was the mansion; caught in cold shadow as the sun rose behind it, the details were hard to make out. But he saw rotting wood stairs, double chimneys, three stories of windows, and dingy brick covered in ivy. He slowed a bit, then shook himself as he strode forward, ignoring the way the hairs on his arms and neck prickled in superstitious and primal fear.

As he got closer and cleared a tree blocking his path, he saw that there seemed to be an actual greenhouse attached to the west wing of the house. Though it seemed overrun with more ivy and old weeds on the outside. Aeleus refocused on the entrance, and took a steadying breath. He walked up with a confidence he didn't feel, made sure to step over the rotted middle step leading up to the short porch, and knocked on the door. After all, this was the only place the side-path he'd been told to follow lead to; the other fork led back out to Whittlesburg.

The double doors, painted in what was once white, opened inward of their own accord. They swung in silently, which was somehow more unnerving than if they had screamed in protest on rusty hinges. Aeleus stepped in cautiously and looked about at the grand foyer, surprised to find that, though the exterior had showed a building clearly abandoned, the interior was in fantastic shape, if dimly lit and a touch dusty. A grand staircase cut the middle of a room with a seemingly endless height, leading up to a second-floor landing that had a very short staircase to the left and the right each. He assumed they lead to the East and West sections of the mansion respectively. Two archways on either side of the grand staircase lead into other rooms on the ground floor.

Aeleus looked around, noting still life paintings on the walls of the lower floor. Above each archway were two extremely large portraits, and both portraits were hard to get much out of, as they had both been violently slashed. He could tell the one on the left was a man with what he had to guess was ash blond hair, and on the right what might have been a woman, as he could only see the neckline of a red dress and dark  _blue_ hair piled high in an elaborate style.

But was no sign of a living soul. Though his father could not have been here that long ago, even the dust seemed undisturbed. Aeleus scowled and ran a finger along the railing on the grand staircase. He shifted his weight, then decided there was naught else to do but call out, or risk wandering and getting lost in this place. “Hello?” he called. He paused, then went up a few of the marble stairs. “Hello! I'm looking for my father!”

Though there was no immediate response, something in the atmosphere, in the very air itself, seemed to have changed. It was  _charged_ . He felt more gooseflesh erupt on his skin again, but he took another step up onto the stairs. Then, a voice with no apparent source, an unnaturally smooth voice that seemed to come from all directions, cut through the silence. “So glad you could finally join us, Aeleus Beauchene.” There was something wrong with the inflections in that voice, a manner of speaking that felt cold.

Aelues stiffened, but that was the only outward sign of his surprise. “Who are you? And why did you take my father?” Again, no immediate response, but there was some sort of light ' _whoosh_ ' of air that caused him to look up. He took a slight step back as something large and black fell and landed on the stairs ahead of him, wings held out for balance. It straightened out, and all Aeleus could think was, by gods, he'd actually have to apologize to his father.

Well, except for one detail; the 'bird man' was actually rather short, if you went by human standards. He could see that even though it was above him on the stairs. It tilted its head slightly to the side to see him better. But the eyes, though on the sides of the head, were the eyes of a man. And bright blue, at that. The creature, he noted distantly, still wore britches, for whatever reason. The beak opened slightly, and it chuckled. “It's not your father I'm interested in.”

Aeleus licked his dry lips, unsure how to take that mysterious comment, so he decided to get to the point; “I've come to bargain for my father's release.”

The crow-man turned. “Come.” It then began to walk back up the steps, and made a left. Aeleus frowned and followed it down straight but narrow halls. He noted yet more slashed portraits, some of which clung to the wall desperately by only one corner or side. Once handsome striped wallpaper was now dingy and colorless, and he could not guess at the contents of so many, many locked doors.

As Aeleus and the creature rounded the bend, a door with chipped white paint swung open on silent hinges without being touched. The bird man, whatever its name may be, strode in as though this were the norm. And perhaps, in here, it was. Aeleus made an effort to show no reaction, and followed it in to a rather impressive drawing and study room combo. The walls were mint, the elaborate wall sconces as long as Aelus' fore-arm and gilded in gold, the fireplace of neat, painted white wood with no chips in the paint. No dust to be seen, and the myth-based painting above the hearth was intact. The warm, red-brown wooden floors and elaborately styled rug all looked well cared for.

The bird creature sat in the most obviously comfortable of the chairs, and probably the only one that would have been big enough to comfortably support Aeleus himself, which the large man figured was a deliberate power play. His scowl deepened as he selected one of the smaller chairs. It creaked, but held him. A heavy silence descended, and blue eyes locked unwavering onto blue. Finally, the bird clucked its tongue. “My, but you are a stubborn one.” Its blue eyes sparkled. “This shall be interesting, indeed.”

“I grow tired of your games,” Aeleus responded, his deep voice rumbling dangerously. “I came, as requested, to bargain for his release.”

The bird tilted its head. “Indeed you have. And yet you've brought nothing with you of any value. How did you plan on paying me for his freedom, then?”

Aeleus ground his teeth. “By any means necessary, if I must.”

The bird waved an arm, and Aeleus stiffened as the candles lit themselves. “Perhaps you would like to see your father, first?”

Aeleus only scowled and offered a stiff nod.

The door through which they’d just entered opened yet again, admitting a man as tall as Aeleus but leaner, with thick, curly hair in red brown with streaks of grey. His clothes were rumpled and stained, but showed no immediate signs of foul play. He appeared to be dragged in by nothing, his eyes squeezed shut as if to avoid some horror.

“This man, your father, barged into my estate here. While trespassing on a night as bad as it was I could ignore, I could not ignore his attempts at theft,” the creature said, eyes alight and glittering with an emotion Aeleus couldn’t place. Excitement, rage? It was rather hard to interpret human emotions on a face with a beak, and with no notable body posture to give any clues.

“Aeleus?” His father had finally opened his eyes, wide and blue-grey. His watery, thin voice had quavered. “I knew it, I knew you would come!”

“Silence, or you go back to where you came from,” the bird snapped, eyes flicking briefly to its right, then back to Aeleus. “When I caught him, he offered nothing but hollow excuses.” It leaned forward some. “But when I locked him up, he kept saying how his family needed him, expected him back.”

“Yes, they do! Tell it, Aeleus,” his father burst in.

The creature rolled its eyes in what Aeleus would call its first honest reaction since his arrival. “May I _finish?_ ” It turned to give his father a sharp look. His father shut his mouth with a snap. It straightened and blinked in satisfaction, then turned to Aeleus again. “I asked what he could possibly offer that would make up for his transgressions.” It sat back and steepled its fingers. “He stammered, fell silent, and then began to describe each of you instead.” It blinked once, and somehow Aeleus just knew it was smiling. Aeleus grew a little alarmed, and looked to his father. It continued on regardless. “You seemed to be the most useful of the lot.”

Aeleus stood, heart pounding, hot and cold at once. “Father, you traded your own freedom for mine? I did not agree to this!” Aeleus whirled back to the bird man. “Keep him. I’ve no intention of staying in his place,” he snarled. Fists clenched and jaw clenched, he turned to move toward the door.

“Ah, ah, ah!” the bird sang, and the door shut. “Now that you’re here, I’ve no intention of letting you walk away.” There was a rustle of feather and fabric, and the tapping of his claws on the floor, building in a crescendo as he neared.

Aeleus ignored him and tugged on the door with all the strength he could muster. Having nigh pulled a door of its hinges before, he was rather shocked to find it did not budge, and stumbled. A soft chuckle sounded behind him. He turned and narrowed his eyes at the bird, then took a step closer and loomed over the sorcerer. “And what need do you have of me?”

It appeared unintimidated and blinked up at him. “You will have multiple uses. First, a guard; though my magics obviously serve me well, there are always ways around such things.” It tilted its head. “And I have been told you have a way with the garden.”

“He does, he does! We have a rather worthless plot of land, too full of rocks and clay, and still he coaxes something to grow for us to sell!” His father burst out. Aeleus ground his teeth, suppressing the urge to put a fist to his father’s face.

“I sincerely hope that is true.” It began to pace. “I have a greenhouse, you see, but nothing will grow in it. Most people would declare it cursed and simply resign themselves, but I have need of it.” It turned back to him. “I hope you can help there.”

“I’ve only ever grown simple plants, like a couple types of grain, sugar beets, and potatoes,” he said in a low voice laced with restrained intensity.

“Hmm, we shall still see. At the very least, I now have someone to deter those as bold as your fool father,” it said, turning an eye to his father.

His father squirmed as they both looked at him. “Does this mean I can go?”

“Yes, you are dismissed.” It waved a hand, and the door flung open with force enough to make a gust. His father was dragged out again by something invisible, and he cried out in alarm. The door slammed shut again before Aeleus could do more than take a step toward it.

“Why can’t you use whatever invisible fiend dragged my father away to guard this place?” Aeleus asked after a moment.

“They require my direct concentration to work, and have no will of their own. I need someone that can act when I am otherwise occupied,” it replied. “There are a few that can seem to act on their own, but their wills are simple; fetch food, water, some minor cleaning. But anything that is not either a strict routine or small deviation from the norm is beyond them.” It strode to the door and opened it in the normal way. “Now, come; I will show you to your room, as my air spirits cannot do it for reasons I should hope would be obvious.” With a resigned sigh, Aeleus followed the bird man.

**Author's Note:**

> A fair warning: though I have no intention of abandoning this fic, my muse is fleeting, and it has taken me a year to even get this far. This is dedicated to my friends who frequent the LexZex chat. Also, note that the main two will carry the large majority of the story and plot, and any others will be either mentioned or make minor appearances.


End file.
